Dragonlance DRAGONLANCE LIVES! Unearthed Arcana Explores Heroes of Krynn!

The latest Unearthed Arcana has arrived and the 6-page document contains rules for kender, lunar magic, Knights of Solamnia, and Mages of High Sorcery.

In today’s Unearthed Arcana, we explore character options from the Dragonlance setting. This playtest document presents the kender race, the Lunar Magic sorcerer subclass, the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery backgrounds, and a collection of new feats, all for use in Dungeons & Dragons.

Kender have a (surprisingly magical) ability to pull things out of a bag, and a supernatural taunt feature. This magical ability appears to replace the older 'kleptomania' description -- "Unknown to most mortals, a magical phenomenon surrounds a kender. Spurred by their curiosity and love for trinkets, curios, and keepsakes, a kender’s pouches or pockets will be magically filled with these objects. No one knows where these objects come from, not even the kender. This has led many kender to be mislabeled as thieves when they fish these items out of their pockets."

Lunar Magic is a sorcerer subclass which draws power from the moon(s); there are notes for using it in Eberron.

Also included are feats such as Adepts of the Black, White, and Red Robes, and Knights of the Sword, Rose, and Crown.

News Archive | Dungeons and Dragons

Read the full archives of Dungeons & Dragons news, Sage Advice, Unearthed Arcana, and D&D Studio Blogs.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Faolyn]

I would personally not be surprised if other Autistic-ADHD D&D players have similar feelings/preferences of D&D races, especially relating to the more "castoff/misfit" D&D races, because that's a very common experience that Autistic people grow up feeling and can relate to, but no, I do not feel/think that I am speaking for the whole or even majority of the ADHD-Autistic community (that play D&D, that is).

I have heard a lot of other Autistic people say that they can relate to Data or Spock from Star Trek, and some other ADHD D&D players say that they can relate to the quirky/erratic behavior of Gnomes, but I imagine that others have a very different array of favorite player races. I could see how other Autistic/ADHD D&D players could be more drawn to races like Tabaxi, Elves, and other player races.

For me--and yes, Autistic and ADHD here--it's the planetouched races. Gimme a tiefling, aasimar, or genasi any day.

 

[Hussar]

Let’s compare shall we? Plane touched races are universally presented as positive. All of their traits are positive. There are no negative traits associated with pale touched races.

The worst we could say are that tieflings are often distrusted and othered. But again, this isn’t a negative point about tieflings, it’s a negative trait shared by other people with the strong implication that such distrust is unjustified and wrong.

Now kender have very strong negative traits. They are disruptive- dangerous in the sense that having a kender around is very likely going to get you killed. Also they are thieves. Sure it might be a “compulsion” but it doesn’t change the fact that they are thieves.

Oh those people just can’t help themselves is hardly a good look.

And, let’s not forget. We’re talking about one of the most disliked player races in the game’s history. Even Dragonborn bewbs don’t come close to this level of loathing in the fandom.

Which means, if you want to publish a setting/adventure for this, you absolutely have a big hill to climb.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

For me--and yes, Autistic and ADHD here--it's the planetouched races. Gimme a tiefling, aasimar, or genasi any day.

Oh, I can absolutely see that. I love planetouched and can relate to them in some ways too. I can absolutely see how Planetouched would be another popular choice amongst the Autistic/ADHD community.

(Tieflings are also extremely popular amongst LGBTQ+ D&D players. That's another example of real-world people relating to a fantasy race that shares some common elements/themes with them.)

 

[Dire Bare]

Does anyone consider the kender to be dangerous? I was under the impression--by what 2e and 3e Dragonlance game books I've read--that most non-evil humans very much liked kender for their childlike innocence.

Heh, poor choice of words there on my part.

I didn't mean dangerous as in, "Watch out for the kender, they're coming to kill us all with their hoopaks!"

I meant dangerous to the social order. Bringers of chaos. "If our lovely civilized town is to continue, the kender must be driven out."

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Heh, poor choice of words there on my part.

I didn't mean dangerous as in, "Watch out for the kender, they're coming to kill us all with their hoopaks!"

I meant dangerous to the social order. Bringers of chaos. "If our lovely civilized town is to continue, the kender must be driven out."

"Menace" might have been the word you were looking for.

 

[Hussar]

Disruptive?

But I get the sense that no matter what word you chose it would never be sufficient.

 

[Marandahir]

For me--and yes, Autistic and ADHD here--it's the planetouched races. Gimme a tiefling, aasimar, or genasi any day.

I'm not autistic, but I have an acute and lasting case of ADHD that I struggle with daily (it didn't fade as I reached adulthood, I've just had to learn coping mechanisms). For me, it's mixed lineages like Half-Elves and Half-Orcs, Planetouched, Shifters, Dhampirs - struggling to balance between two worlds, two poles, sugerego and id, law and chaos, good and evil, within one being, trying to find the ego, the I, not because I'm a Paladin who chose to walk this path of the long dark teatime of the soul, but because it was chose for me, luck of the draw. How can I satisfy my deep innate curiousity and impulses without mucking it up for everyone else? The Half-folk caught between often share this story.

D&D has a lot here going for us neurodivergents.

 

[Dire Bare]

"Menace" might have been the word you were looking for.

Disruptive?

But I get the sense that no matter what word you chose it would never be sufficient.

Sure. Menace, disruptive . . . both better choices than dangerous. But also not really my point in that post.

My point was that folks who dismiss the negative and harmful tropes embedded in some of our favorite D&D races because they don't match up with real-world peoples on a 1-to-1 correspondence are deliberately missing the point. IMO.

 

[Azzy]

Does anyone consider the kender to be dangerous? I was under the impression--by what 2e and 3e Dragonlance game books I've read--that most non-evil humans very much liked kender for their childlike innocence.

Have you adventured with a kender in the party!?

 

[Umbran]

EDIT: Danny we were cross-posting.

Mod Note:
1) Danny is not unlikely to see your comment edited in after the fact, unless he has a reason to go back and re-read the post.

2) If you want to discuss moderation, do it by PM, not in thread, especially not edited in after the fact. Arguing with moderation in-thread is pretty solidly against the rules...